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will bless you with everlasting consolation and a good hope through grace. Your joy will be full. His presence will go with you, and give you rest. You will rejoice in hope of the glory to be revealed. Your heart will overflow with gratitude. Your tongue will celebrate his praise. All your fresh "springs will be in him." Ilis ways and service will become more delightful to you. "Mercy and loving-kindness shall follow you" continually. "Darkness shall become light before you, and crooked things straight." You shall banointed with that unction from above which will teach you all things." His sabbaths will be as festivals; you will call them holy, honourable, and delightful. You will taste the pleasures of christian fellowship. In short, if you follow on to know the Lord, "your sun shall no more go down, neither shall your moon withdraw itself; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God your glory. He will be to you as the former and latter rain," and the days of your mourning shall be ended, as it respects the bitterness of sin; and if you sorrow for others, though it suspend your joy for a season, it will ultimately increase it for ever.

Consider again, every thing shall now work together for your good; and while you simply and humbly trust in the Lord, "no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper." Nothing shall separate you from the love of Christ. Every fresh circumstance shall bring your graces into exer. cise, and add greater lustre to your crown.

Death and judgment, which so greatly terrify others, will not damp your joy: on the contrary, they will afford matter for your songs, and add swiftness to your race. You will say on the very bring of eternity, "Thanks be to God, who giveth me the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ."

You will be more beneficent. This, to a truly gracious soul, is no small matter, as has been observed already. The apostle counted not his life dear to himself, so he might finish his course with joy, and the ministry which he had received of the Lord Jesus. You may not indeed be called to the work of the ministry, but you are called to do all the good

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you can; and I know nothing that will afford you more lasting satisfaction, next to the favour of God, than in turning sinners from the error of their ways, or helping them forward who through grace have believed in the Lord. And should you be instrumental of saving one soul from death, it will be a more glorious exploit than ever was performed by all the celebrated ambitious heroes of past or present times.

But the best of all is, there is laid up for you in heaven an unfading crown, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give you when he appears in his glory. Let him that is

holy be holy still," for he shall find his account therein. "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city; for there shall in no wise enter in any thing that defileth, but they that are written in the Lamb's book of life;" and these are such, and such only, as have washed their robes, and made them white in his most precious blood.

Remarks and exhortations concerning it.—St. Paul observes of himself and the saints of God in his day, that they were his workmanship, and if so, it must be admitted that this great work of our salvation must be worthy of himself. His work is acknowledged perfect in nature, providence, and redemption, and why not in the sanctification of his people? The scripture certainly admits of it, both when speaking of the whole, or parts of their character. "Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright. Blessed are the perfect-and the undefiled in the way, that seek him with their whole heart -they do no iniquity, If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man. Whom we preach-that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. He is the Rock, his work is perfect, a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. Jesus, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good

works." And as it respects parts of this character, we read that patience is to have its perfect work; faith is made perfect by works. He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect. Out of the mouth of babes-thou hast perfected praise. We read also of the riches of the full assurance of understanding, and the full assurance of hope, and the peace of God which passeth understanding. Of rejoicing with joy unspeakable, and of being presented faultless with exceeding joy. Of being strengthened to all long-suffering with joyfulness. Of gen tleness disposing the mind to show all meekness to all men. Of those who were full of goodness, and temperate in all things. Of serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and being clothed with humility. Of being ever merciful. All which things evidently set forth the work of him who before the foundation of the world, ordained that "we should be holy and without blame before him in love."

It therefore appears very natural to hear such exhortations as these. Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. I beseech you to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God.-Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing-forgiving-and above all things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

The relation in which you stand to God as a member of Christ's mystical body, and the love he bears you on that account, is another cause of encouragement. For only consider these words, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him." And you must see the infinite satisfaction he takes in your blessed Mediator, and how pleasing it is to him, that you are guided by the truths he taught. So great is his love to you, and all that believe in him, that he would not even trust you fully to the care of angels, but made your Lord your king aud guardian. He

is the head of his body the church, the fulness of him that filleth all in all, and having given you so rich a gift, "he will freely with him give you all things. He will give you grace and glory; yea, all things are your's; whether Paul, Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your's, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's."

Lastly. You have great reason to expect it from what the Lord has wrought in you, as preparatory to this evangelical holiness. When you were far off by sin and wicked works, he brought you near to himself by the blood of Jesus. Though your sins were more in number than the hairs of your head; yet he blotted out the hand-writing that was against you, and cast them all behind his back. He has given you hearts to fear before him and to do his pleasure. He has brought you from the miry clay, set your feet upon a rock, and put a new song in your mouths, even praise unto your compassionate God. He has adopted you into his family, and repeatedly healed the backslidings of your souls.

It would be difficult indeed to enumerate all, for his fatherly compassion has followed you all your days; and I am persuaded that if you are not moved away from the "hope of the gospel," this desire you feel to be wholly sanctified shall certainly be fulfilled, the Lord will finish the work he has begun, and make you fit for his kingdom and glory. Leave therefore the first principles, as builders the foundation in raising their superstructure, and go on to perfection, that the "head stone may be brought forth with shoutings of Grace! Grace!"

CHAP. V.

MEANS OF PROMOTING HOLINESS.

Morality-The Lord's Day-Christian Fellowship—Ordinances-Meditation-Family Worship.

As there are doubtless many things to hinder us in our spiritual progress, so there are many others whose tendency is to help us forward. Those, therefore, who are desirous of being brought into the full liberty of the children of God, would do well to pay a particular attention to them. I shall begin with

MORALITY.

MORALITY is an essential branch of true holiness, and it may be considered as implying a continued chain of such works as are acceptable to God, and approved of men. Where there is the living principle of faith in the heart, it will discover itself in our tempers, words, and actions. Some indeed are so circumstanced, that, with the best intentions, they can do but little to discover their genuine character before men, having no resource, except an appeal to the searcher of hearts for their sincerity; these must, therefore, go as far as they can, and leave without solicitude the rest to him that judgeth righteously.

Every christian should endeavour to preserve a fair and respectable character amongst men, that he may stand aloof from all mean, base, and unworthy actions. He that does not regard his character is easily seduced to evils, and is unfit to have our approbation or our confidence. We are not indeed to seek the honour that cometh from nien as the end of our actions, neither are we wilfully to disgrace ourselves before them. It is a sad affair when men are not

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